Our Friendship
by kinetic-cataclysm
Summary: The past is a mysterious thing. Always lurking, always ready to exact a toll for past mistakes. But for five years, Mallow feels he can briefly set aside his guilt as he befriends Vanilla, the young man whose past will one day disappear into his future.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I have no legal rights over Steambot Chronicles. _

Our Friendship-- Fresh Beginnings, Bad Endings 

The harsh shrieking of seagulls filled the air over Albatross Wharf, accentuating the shouts of the laborers on the piers as they unloaded passengers and cargo from their ships. The large docking area was bustling with activity that fall morning, the air nippy and rank with salt from the sea and grease from the Trotmobiles clanking around loaded with heavier loads of steel beams and lumber to bring into the various warehouses lining the area.

At the end of the line of piers jutting out into the sea by the lighthouse a smaller ship lay moored, it's faded green paint and worn look keeping it from any sort of attention from most of the harbor. The crew had already dispersed to the bar in Mariner City now that their meager cargo was unloaded, and their only passenger disembarked.

The passenger in question was sitting on top of his small chest of belongings by Warehouse Four, gazing quietly at the steely colored sea in front of him. His neatly trimmed black hair was lightly ruffled by the breeze, and his nose was starting to take on a pink hue from the chill, but he seemed to barely take notice. His dark eyes had an almost haunted look in them, accentuated by the visible bags under his eyes as he took in his new surroundings, similar to port he had left from in his home country but entirely different from his home city that he had been forced to leave. '_And all because of one childish prank'_, his subconscious whispered bitterly to him.

'_No, the council said it wasn't my fault.' _He railed back against the thought, a familiar internal argument for the past few weeks now, but could easily recall the disgust hidden in the men's eyes, and his father's stern face in his mind's eye after the court had let him leave.

'_You were as much at fault as that driver, my son. Because of you,--' _The boy shook his head violently as if to shake away the accusations and memories. Leaning forward on his chest, he hunched his shoulders and miserably glanced up and down the concrete strip leading to his ship, waiting for the car that was supposed to pick him up. He had kept his coat bundled away in his chest, and with only a thin button up shirt and his brown slacks on he was getting quite cold.

Just as he was about to turn his gaze back to the sea, however, the unmistakable putter of an engine caught his attention. Looking up, he saw the brightly painted red car making its way towards him, going at a steady pace due to the fact that this section of the wharf was relatively clear of laborers. As it shuddered to a halt in front of him the boy slowly stood up, raising a hand up to make sure his hair wasn't too mussed by the wind as the driver hopped out of his seat to approach the by.

"You are Mister Mallow, correct?" Mallow slowly nodded, a quiet, "Yes," belatedly following the action. He could tell the chauffeur was a bit surprised at his quiet, almost meek attitude, but being obnoxious and conceited like he used to be just made him feel sick inside now. Mallow looked down at his chest to avoid having to look the man in the eye, but apparently the driver followed his gaze due to his next comment: "If you get into the car sir, I'll just get your things tied onto the roof." The man smiled politely, trying to meet Mallow's eyes with his own light brown, but Mallow kept his gaze firmly on the ocean as he nodded again.

As Mallow walked over to the car and let himself in, quietly shutting the door behind him, the driver picked up the surprisingly light chest and grabbed some rope from his seat to secure it to the vehicle. _'That kid sure is an odd one,' _he thought to himself as he knotted the spare rope at the end. _'But then again, maybe that's why he's going to live with Duke Bean.' _Settling down in his seat and starting the car, the driver thought no more of his passenger, instead focusing at the task at hand of turning and navigating his way through the bustling people and Trotmobiles around the rest of the wharf to get back into the city proper.

Inside the car, Mallow was trying vainly to occupy his thoughts with something innocent or even trifling. Instead, he was stuck either trying to clock out memories of the past few weeks or worrying about what his reception would be at his new home for the next five years. According to everyone back in Happy Garland he was off to pursue his 'studies' in medicine to take over his father's business. Really, this was his father's way of punishing him and forcing him to consider all that he had done. Although Mallow didn't see how sending him to Duke Bean, an old acquaintance of Mallow's long-dead mother, was supposed to be a punishment. He would have figured he'd be sent to live with a fisherman, or even a carpenter. Not an aristocrat.

But from what he had been able to learn on the ship from the few sailors he had talked to who knew the city, the Duke was a stern man with two sons and a daughter, and a bit of an eccentric. He was a blend of old and new values that no one seemed to be able to describe in a few words, which made Mallow a bit wary of his guardian. Until he turned eighteen in three years, he would be entirely under the control of this businessman, the Bean family having gained their fortune long ago in the form of trade.

Glancing out the window to see the last row of wooden warehouses pass by, Mallow gave a soft sigh and closed his eyes. Only to snap them open again as images flashed unheeded across his eyelids. _'If nothing else, maybe I can have some sort of fresh start here.' _

_AN: This is a project that has been picking away at my resolve for a few months now, and I've finally given in and started to write it. _

_This chapter is mostly just an opening to the setting, the writing style I'll be using throughout the story, and the perspectives I'll mostly be writing from. While it seems even the game developers of Steambot Chronicles forgot Mallow after the end of the game, he was one of my favorite characters (don't ask why, or you'll get a really long rant). _

_So, this story is here to just explore some background musings I had about his character after the 'Accident', along with my interpretation of Vanilla's past. __**If you have not completed the game, I would not recommend reading this story**__, as it has some spoilers about Connie, Dandelion and Chicory that you may have wanted to find out yourself. _

_As a last note, Mallow's, and later Vanilla's, ages will both start at fifteen in this story, leaving them at nineteen when Steambot Chronicles begins. Some people consider Vanilla to be younger, about seventeen, but when I remember some of the things you can make Vanilla say and think in that game, I feel more comfortable setting him a bit older. So keep that in mind if you continue to read later chapters. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I have no legal rights over Steambot Chronicles/ Bumpy Trot_

* * *

Chapter 2

Mariner City was much darker than Happy Garland, literally. Mallow could tell this much already as the car took him over a bridge connecting Albatross Wharf to the city proper. His first sight upon entering was the large steel factories that loomed up above the narrow city streets, spewing ominous grey smoke out of the tall smoke stacks in large clouds. It not only made the sky drearier, but it gave the very air a yellowish tinge and lowered visibility. Mallow wondered how the driver was able to avoid hitting the many pedestrians he could see shuffling about on the narrow sidewalks from his window. From what little he could see, most if not all seemed to be dirt poor, with raggedly patched clothing and sickly thin figures. It would make his father horrified as a doctor.

Mallow felt the urge to turn away, but he kept his eyes on them. Happy Garland had a habit of hiding its darker side along with most of its poor, only celebrating the successful and rich. In contrast, Mariner City welcomed its visitors with it's darker side from the start. The thought brought a grimace to Mallow's face as he lifted a hand up to hold on to a red pendant hanging around his neck. It had been a birthday gift as well as a parting gift from his father a week ago, and already Mallow found that it soothed him whenever he let his mind wander to darker thoughts.

Though he reasoned to himself that he needed no dark thoughts when such a bleak scene lay before his very eyes. From one of the alleyways he heard a child's scream even through the door of the car, and saw a man stagger out a few seconds later with a small pouch in his hands. With a start at the sight of blood on the man's hands, Mallow let his hand slide down from his pendant to land with a quiet thump on the seat and turned his head away, deciding to look at the view outside when they got out of this section of town. And when the feeling of nausea in his stomach died down.

Within a few minutes the car had moved past the factories and into the business section of town. While the air was still smoggy, it was easy to see colorful stalls and signs for clothes, food, furniture, medicine, trotmobile parts, and more. The people seemed better dressed and healthier in this part of town too, and Mallow, feeling better at the change of atmosphere, was curious about who mainly shopped here. He glanced forward to see the driver's impassive gaze on the road, but decided not to ask. He probably wouldn't see the man again, but if word got to the Duke that Mallow was asking around about people of lower economic status than himself, it would be a bad first impression. One that Mallow knew he couldn't afford.

So instead, he kept his eyes trained upwards towards the hazy sky during the rest of the short drive to the Duke's mansion in the northwest section of the city. From what he had read on the journey here on the boat, Mariner City was similar to Neuhafen in that there was a clearly discernible boundary where the poor lived and the rich. He guessed a small middle class must exist from what he had seen in the market near the center of the city, but it must also be the minority. For now he was clearly in the wealthy section of the city. With the paved driveway, neatly trimmed hedges, and iron gates that opened before entrance to the main house, Mallow knew that Duke Bean certainly had more money than even his own father. But the name of the home, with it's sprawling gardens and what seemed to be a park in the back that sloped downwards towards the sea, eluded him.

"Excuse me." Mallow called out to the driver. The man jumped in his seat before turning his head slightly to the side.

"Yes, sir?" Mallow debated on changing his question to ask why the man was so jumpy, but decided to stay on task. Just because he didn't want to be obnoxiously arrogant didn't mean he could be _too_ pleasant to a servant.

"I can't recall the name of the Duke's residence. Could you please inform me?" He kept the expression on his face politely stoic.

"Of course sir. This would be Chandler Park. It's one of the finest homes in the city, being so near the edge of the city and away from the factories and docks." The driver chuckled and Mallow frowned.

"What is it?" The man rolled his shoulders in what Mallow could only guess to be a shrug.

"I'm just guessing this is the first time you've been to Mariner City, sir, if you don't know Chandler Park." Mallow gave a minute nod of his head, and after a moment spoke as he realized the driver was unable to see him.

"That is correct. I'm sure by the time I leave, however, I will know the place intimately."

All he got as a reply was a polite, "Yes, sir," before silence descended once again in the car. The drive up the winding driveway continued to be quiet, and Mallow took the time to admire the gardens that lay on either side the hedges bordering the driveway.

There were no flowers this late in the year, but the trees in the background and the various bushes were all a riot of color. Rich shades of red, orange and yellow were the most common, although Mallow saw a few trees whose leaves who shimmered an almost purple hue in the midmorning sunshine as the breeze from the sea rustled them. It made him wish that windows on cars could be lowered, or that he was in a Trotmobile so that he could smell the air. It looked much cleaner than in the city itself, although when he twisted in his seat to look behind him he could almost see the yellow smog hanging above the eastern and central parts of the city, mingling with the grey smoke of the factories to the south. Mallow supposed that was one benefit to Happy Garland. The GTW did not produce enough steel to release that much pollution into the air.

A sudden slowing of the car brought Mallow's attention back to the front, and he could see that they had reached the front steps of the house. There seemed to people coming out of the house to meet him, and from the cut of their clothing Mallow assumed them to be the Bean family, along with a couple servants following a respectful distance behind.

With a deep breath Mallow closed his eyes, and opened them again as he exhaled in a quiet sigh. He could only hope that only the Duke knew the full circumstances of his arrival here. It would make everything much easier, as well as less awkward when trying to start a conversation with one of the Duke's children. He knew one of them was about his age, but he couldn't remember if it was one of the young men or the daughter.

But as the driver got out of the car and walked around to open his door, Mallow knew he was about to find out.

* * *

_AN: Snap Monkeys. =/ _

_I never intended to have such a long interval between the first chapter and the second. I suppose that's what I get for being so busy I guess. It is what it is. But sorry if there was anyone out there waiting for me to update. _

_This chapter loosely describes Mariner City, where the story will mainly be taking place. I hope I gave a good picture to start off with, but don't worry if you can't get a clear picture in your head yet. Same goes with Chandler Park. Both places will have their descriptions elaborated upon as the story progresses. _

_Quick trivia__: A chandler is an old English term from the 19th__ century. It was originally used for candle dealers, but turned into the name used for street grocers who sold basic goods such as bread and cheese to their local neighborhood. It's a play off of the Bean family's beginnings, as their ancestors were chandlers who became merchants and then worked their way up in the world until voila! Duke Bean. _

_I think too much about my characters sometimes. =P_

_Here's hoping you enjoyed the second chapter, and if you have any positive or negative feedback to share I'd love to hear it. If you're curious about the next chapter, I always have an up-to-date story status going on my profile. _

_~KC_


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